Brazilian Navy
The
Brazilian Navy (
Portuguese:
Marinha do Brasil) serves the
Federative Republic of Brazil is the largest navy in
Latin America, having a 27,307 ton
aircraft carrier, the
NAeL São Paulo (former
FS Foch of the
French Navy), some
American and
British built
frigates, a few locally-built
corvettes, coastal diesel-electric submarines (with a
nuclear submarine under development) and many other river and coastal patrol craft.
The Brazilian Navy also includes a
Marine Corps (
Corpo de Fuzileiros Navais) which is the second-largest such force in the world. The Marine Corps is composed of an Operational Brigade and some Guard & Ceremonial Duty Battalions. All told, the Brazilian Marine Corps numbers about 14,600 Marines (2004). There is also a Naval Aviation arm, with about 1,150 members (2004). Of about 48,600 members of the Brazilian Navy, about 3,200 are conscripts (2004).
The Brazilian Navy was formed immediately after the nation's independence from Portugal (September 7, 1822). The Navy saw action during the War of Independence of Brazil, Cisplatine War, River Plate conflicts, Paraguayan War, several civil conflicts across Brazil and during the two World Wars.
After the independence, the navy was small. In 1860, the fleet consisted on 7 screw sloops and 8 paddle steamers plus a sailing fleet of 6 frigates and corvettes and 14 smaller vessels. During the Paraguayan War, several ironclads were purchased from Britain and FranceAfter the losses of the 1893 Navy Rebelion, very little naval building was done until the 1905 naval programme, which gave the Navy two of the most modern and powerful dreadnoughts of the world at the time , the Minas Gerais Class, the Brazilian Navy last battleships.
* 1 Aircraft Carrier
NAeL São Paulo * 4 Tupi
Submarines Class (German
Type 209, 1 built in German, 3 in Brazil)
* 1 Tikuna Submarine Class (Modified German Type 209, built in Brazil)
10
Frigates of which:
* 3 Greenhaigh Class (ex UK
Type 22, Batch 1)
* 6 Niteroi Class (4 built in UK, 2 in Brazil)
* 1 Para Class (ex US
Garcia class frigate)
5
Corvettes of which:
* 5 Inhauma Class (built in Brazil)
47 Patrol Vessels of which:
* 16 Offshore Patrol Vessels
* 10 Coastal Patrol Vessels
* 16 Inshore Patrol Vessels
* 5 River Patrol Vessels
* 6
minesweepers ( ex German Schutze class)
* 3 Amphibious vessels
Various support ships
*
Official website (in Portuguese)
*
GlobalSecurity.org profile*
Ships of the Brazilian Navy *
History of VF-1 "Falcões" (Hawks) in the Brazilian Navy*
Brazilian naval flags*
Base Militar Web Magazine's Brazilian military aircraft data base*
Poder Naval OnLine - warships, naval aviation and related information*[
1]
*[
2]
*[
3]
